Kids coached to pitch world-changing ideas

January 15, 2014

A program launched globally on Tuesday set out to inspire children to present their big ideas for changing the world.

TED-Ed Clubs is the latest education initiative from the nonprofit organization behind prestigious TED conferences known for for perspective-shifting presentations by the brilliant and famous.

TED-Ed Clubs was piloted in more than 100 schools in 20 countries before being rolled out with the aim of promoting "presentation literacy" in students.

"In today's world, a person's ability to effectively and creatively communicate their ideas can be the difference between endless opportunities opened, and endless opportunities missed," said TED-Ed director Logan Smalley.

"Right now, there are countless young minds forming the ideas that will define our future."

School clubs formed by signing up at ed.ted.com are given frameworks and resources for students to learn how to give the kinds of concise, insightful and passionate presentations for which TED gatherings are famous.

The end goal is for members to deliver their own short, TED-style talks.

TED-Ed began its club pilot program in mid-2013.

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"It's exciting to hear that students who seemed hesitant to share or present in their classrooms have been interested in joining this program," said TED-Ed programs director Stephanie Lo.

"Many educators have told us that being able to share ideas in a public forum is becoming an important 21st-century skill."

Club members are encouraged to create their own TED-style talks to be videotaped. The chosen best are spotlighted at the TED-Ed website.

A growing TED-Ed video library features educational videos, many of them collaborations between teachers and animators.

Teachers are invited to weave TED-Ed videos into their efforts to inspire students to learn.

Online videos stemming from TED conferences—which are renowned for mind-bending mixes of creativity, passion and innovation—have logged more than a billion views.

The nonprofit Sapling Foundation behind the conferences began making its recordings of talks available online as podcasts in 2006, then began streaming videos free at a TED.com website the following year to reach a global audience.

TED started in 1984 as a private gathering in California.

With Chris Anderson as its "curator," TED has become renowned for 18-minute talks devoted to varying perspectives on anything from music or dance to climate change or futuristic technology.

The prestigious TED gathering known for perspective-shifting presentations by the brilliant and famous is tailoring "ideas worth spreading" for a television audience. TED teamed with the US Corporation for Public Broadcasting ...

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